Makini Junior School learning in a cartoon class at Sarit Centre Nairobi during the 24th Nairobi International Book fair on Thursday, September, 28, 2023. The event was graced by Education and Defense CS Aden Duale among others.[FILE,Standard] I have been facilitating a workshop on Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and male engagement in the Igad region, in Machakos County. It has been a fulfilling and intellectually engaging experience. The workshop brought together actors from across Igad member states with a shared purpose: developing an action plan for meaningful and sustained male engagement in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (Gewe). Workshops…
Author: By Egara Kabaji
Kakamega Book Club members led by Prof. Egara Kabaji (seated right) and Esther Azinga Wanga (seated center) the Author of the book Job loss A blessing or A Cursed Curse displays the book during the discussion of the book in a Kakamega hotel on March 2, 2020.[FILE,Standard] While serving as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA, in 2009, I encountered one of those rare moments that expanded my imagination. One afternoon, I received an unusual invitation. A group of elderly ladies wanted me to join their book club meeting. They had formed the club in their youth, and decades…
Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan was inaugurated as president on November 3, 2025, state TV showed, with an internet blackout still holding after election protests in which the opposition says hundreds were killed by security forces.[AFP] Anyone who tells you that history and mythology are useless is lying. To understand what is happening in our politics today, we need to look back at history and mythology and listen to their lessons. History shows us that not every victory is worth celebrating. Some wins are too costly, morally, socially, and politically. Some victories become defeats in disguise, leaving behind damaged individuals, institutions…
Prof Egara Kabaji promotes the culture of reading among the young. [Courtesy] In August this year, Daystar University magnanimously hosted one of the largest and most energetic gatherings of Kenyan writers in recent memory. Organised by the Creative Writers Association of Kenya (C-WAK), the meeting was more than a gathering; it was a cultural pulse check. We came together not just to celebrate creativity, but to interrogate its state in the nation. Among the many issues we deliberated on, one stood out painfully: the loss of critical reading skills. Looking back at that gathering now, and in view of my…
There is an old saying that kept coming to my mind as I studied the designs for the senior school literature syllabus: the more things change, the more they remain the same. As I reflect on these designs, I cannot help but feel the weight of this paradox. .fade-out-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 60px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)); } .paywall-container { position: relative; max-width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; padding: 25px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 2px 10px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); background-color:…
Teachers Service Commission (TSC) building in Nairobi county.[FILE,Standard] Some days ago, social media was abuzz with the story of a divorced couple who decided to bare their hearts before the world. Using the same YouTube channel, the man told his version. Then, on the same platform, the woman narrated hers. By going public, they invited us into their story. As human beings, we naturally took sides, gave opinions, and drew lessons. Once a story leaves your lips, you must be ready to listen to how the world retells it. That, my dear reader, is the nature of life. The world…
There are moments when governments must be reminded that not everything is for sale. Some national assets carry values that cannot be measured in shillings and cents. That is why the proposal to privatise the Kenya Literature Bureau (KLB) is part of a reckless, poorly informed, and dangerous gallery of ideas that should never have been entertained. To call it misguided would be an understatement. No! It is, quite frankly, criminal. To tamper with an institution that forms the intellectual backbone of our nation is to gamble with the future of our children and grandchildren. Let me explain. I am…
Not long ago, my friend David Maillu invited me to his Mathemboni residence. I was excited to visit what I can only describe as the shrine of this mysterious and enigmatic writer. By all measures, Maillu is an enigma. For more than five decades, he has remained one of the most prolific writers Kenya has ever produced. When I was a master’s student at Kenyatta University, I once considered studying his works for my thesis. But I was quickly dissuaded. The argument was that he was “not a serious writer.” That judgment puzzled me. Long before I entered university, Maillu…
Kakamega Little Lillies school students showcase their skills during school career day on April 2, 2025. This is aligned with government CBC curriculum which aims to identify students carriers while they are still in school.[Benjamin Sakwa/ Standard] A few months ago, I organised a series of workshops in Kakamega County to confront a crisis that has long gone unattended: the lack of a strong culture of reading in our schools. I brought together language teachers from across the sub-counties to reflect on how to establish an extensive reading programme. My motivation was simple but sobering. Most students complete secondary school having only…
When I published my latest novel, Shadows of Love, I was reminded of something I had always suspected to be true. Kenyans read the things they love, not just because the school system forces them to, but because they genuinely enjoy reading those things. After completing the story, I handed it over to a small but dynamic publisher, InterCEN Books. The CEO of this firm, Barack Wandera, is a 29-year-old young man! Why did I take this risk? I was looking for someone who believed in the story, not just its potential to appear on a syllabus. When the book…
Nairobi Gen protester in action during June 25th protest anniversary. [Collins Oduor/ Standard] The youth are shaking the foundations of the status quo and demanding to be heard. We have witnessed with awe, and, I daresay, with a mixture of shock and trepidation, the remarkable political awakening of the youth. I think the Gen Z and millennial generations have risen, not merely to make noise or disturb the peace, but to demand accountability, justice, and a future they can believe in. Their voices have reverberated across the land, shaking the foundations of impunity and arrogance in the corridors of power.…
University of Nairobi Deputy vice chancellor academic affairs Ayub Gitau ,Tee Ngugi (son of Ngugi wa thiongo),East African Educational Publishers CEO Kiarie Kamau and Thiongo wa njinju during the Professor Ngugi wa thiongo celebrations of his life and literal works at the taifa hall , University of Nairobi on 20th June 2025. [David Gichuru, Standard] In life, there are matters that demand silence from us. This is not because they are not important, or that we do not care. It is just that they are sacred. I have been around for a long time to understand the African worldview. To…